Picture In The Sand: A Novel by Peter Blauner
"On rare occasions I read a book that reminds me of why I fell in love with storytelling in the first place. This is such a book." Stephen KingPeter Blauner's epic Picture in the Sand is a sweeping intergenerational saga told through a grandfather's passionate letters to his grandson, passing on the story of his political rebellion in 1950s Egypt in order to save his grandson's life in a post-9/11 world.When Alex Hassan gets accepted to an Ivy League university, his middle-class Egyptian-American family is filled with pride and excitement. But that joy turns to shock when they discover that hes run off to the Middle East to join a holy war instead. When he refuses to communicate with everyone else, his loving grandfather Ali emails him one last plea. If Alex will stay in touch, his grandfather will share with Alex and only Alex a manuscript containing the secret story of his own life that hes kept hidden from his family, until now.It's the tale of his romantic and heartbreaking past rooted in Hollywood and the post-revolutionary Egypt of the 1950s, when young Ali was a movie fanatic who attained a dream job working for the legendary director Cecil B. DeMille on the set of his epic film, The Ten Commandments.
- Suggested age range - adult
- Format - Hardcover
- Product dimensions - 9.3" W x 6.4" H x 1.2" D
- Genre - Mystery & Thriller
- Publisher - St. Martin's Publishing Group, Publication Date - 01/03/2023
- Page Count - 352
- ISBN - 9781250851017
Web ID: 15697233
Excellent Historical Fiction
Alex Hassan was accepted to an Ivy League university, causing much joy in his Egyptian American family. But joy soon turns to shock and despair when they find out that he has run away to the Middle East to join in the war, leaving America behind. He refuses to communicate with anyone but his Grandfather Ali, who offers him a deal: if Alex stays in contact with him, he will send chapters of his secret biography to him, information that he has never told anyone in his family. As Ali’s story is slowly revealed, Alex learns that he has more in common with his grandfather than he ever believed. I loved the dual timeline of this work and how the story was set up as a grandpa writing emails to his grandson about his past. The secondary plot paralleled the primary plot and provided insight into the decades long struggle for independence and changes in regime in Egypt, which was not only educational but also emotional. The grandfather’s story included fascinating details about Egypt in the 1950s as well as the filming of the epic The Ten Commandments film and the political regime changes in Egypt, adding another interesting facet to this work. I would have liked to see more cultural details included throughout the work, though – the setting was good, but it wasn’t completely immersive like I want from historical fiction. While it did take me a little bit to become fully engaged with this work, once I got into it, I was completely invested. Young Ali ends up being the main protagonist of this work, and his character was well written, exploring the yearning for bigger and better things juxtaposed with the religious fervor, political unrest, and economic plight that surrounded him in Egypt. I wouldn’t call this a “sweeping intergenerational saga” though – 90% of the work focuses on a small portion of Ali’s childhood, interspersed with brief emails from Alex. But this wasn’t a bad thing and made Ali’s story that much more developed and impactful. I would have liked to feel a bit more of an emotional connection to the characters overall – they were well written, but they were still lacking a bit for me. This was a well written historical fiction that was easy to read and engaging. It covered a fascinating and relevant topic, and I absolutely recommend this read. My thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Historical fiction with a tie to the present
It took me a little while to get fully invested in this story, but once I did, I couldn’t wait to find out what would happen next. Essentially, this is a grandfather’s story of his life as a young man in Egypt during the filming of The Ten Commandments in 1954, in the middle of political turmoil, as told in emails to his grandson, who has left the US to join an Islamist group that we eventually realize is ISIS. I didn’t know a lot about this time in Egyptian history and so I wound up learning a lot. You also find out a lot about how a movie is made on location, all the myriad things that go into creating a huge movie like The Ten Commandments. The grandfather’s journey from being a young Western film aficionado to how he winds up working as a driver for Cecil B. DeMille during the filming of the parts of The Ten Commandments filmed in Egypt to his being caught up in the political turmoil of the day and how he winds up in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, is quite a story. Warning: there are some graphic scenes of torture and references to other disturbing events. Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Clever and interesting approach
What a clever and interesting approach to writing a novel! The characters are well developed and the story is interestingly woven, with the making of The Ten Commandments with Cecile B. DeMille, as Director. Mr. Blauner is a gifted writer. The descriptions of torture, albeit hard for me to read, were visceral. The story is epic, heartbreaking and moving. Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. #NetGalley, #PictureInTheSand.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Cultural, political, filmmaking
Picture In The Sand is a very fitting title for this book. It’s a historical fictionalization based on the making of renowned Cecil B DeMille film “The Ten Commandments”. It was far outside my usual genre and I admit it was a struggle to read, which does not imply it isn’t a compelling story. I wasn’t old enough to know anything about this piece of movie making history when movies were filmed at the actual location, not another continent, no computer generated scenes or photo shopped faces. The historical note at the end explained some of the political unrest of the early fifties is integral to the plot, wish I’d read it first. The story is related through letters emailed between a grandpa and his radicalized grandson, Alex. Alex has been recruited and joined a group in Syria. His Grandpa lived through unspeakable turmoil and tells his stories and experiences of those events in Egypt. There are quite a few diverse characters from Grandpa’s life. Alex doesn’t know any of the personal history his Grandpa is sharing and their beliefs and ideology are both polar opposites and convergent. It is thoughtful, introspective, sometimes violently gut wrenching, not for those opposed to detailed descriptions of vivid sadistic inhumane brutality. It’s a story within a story, the making of the film and one young boy’s fascination with going to Hollywood. In summary it left me wondering at what cost to the people of that country. Did anyone other than the studio and crooked politicians benefit because the film was set in their country? Thanks to NetGalley for the digital advance reader copy of “Picture In The Sand” by Peter Blauner and to St. Martin’s Publishing. These are all my own honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily without compensation.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Endearing characters
Picture in the Sand by Peter Blauner Young Alex and his elderly grandfather Ali trade emails on the cusp of Alex’s joining a jihad in an unnamed country for an unnamed terrorist group. Ali shares with Alex a similar coming of age experience that he had growing up in 1950s Egypt. In their mutual correspondence, Ali tells of his life with actors, movies, director Cecil B DeMille, famous leaders, spies and his unreliable cousin Sherif. The description of everything that happens deserves a huge tip of the hat to author Blauner. It is a remarkable tale he has woven. Grandfather Ali was an especially endearing character, and readers will be touched by the book’s ending. This is a story for those liking a saga bordering on truth and fiction, and, for me, a solid four star book. Many thanks to #StMartinsPress and #NetGalley for the ARC for this delightful adventure.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Movies and Terrorism
Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: St. Martin’s Press Pub. Date: Jan. 3, 2023 “Pictures in the Sand” is an intergenerational family saga fused with an in-depth examination of the roots of radical Islam. The novel connects surprising dots, such as those between modern-day Egyptian terrorism and the making of Cecil B. DeMille's “The Ten Commandments,” a film I’ve been watching for sixty years. Only upon reading this novel did I learn how DeMille’s telling of the Exodus helped deteriorate the relationship between Western and Islamic cultures. Multilayered throughout, the story punctuates moments of familiar comfort with graphic violence. An Egyptian immigrant, Ali Hassan, rejoices when he receives the news that his American-born grandson, Alex Hassan, has been accepted to an Ivy League university. Instead of attending college, however, Alex sends his family an email telling them he is changing his name to Abu and leaving to fight a holy war in the Middle East. The details of Abu’s radicalization, which I found myself wanting, are left to our imagination. In Egypt, Abu only communicates with his grandfather. We learn that in the 1950s, under his cousin’s influence, Ali transformed from a movie fan working as one of Cecil B. DeMille's assistants to a member of the Muslim Brotherhood. Through the young Ali, the author shows how such organizations can corrupt a young person’s mind. Impressed by Ali’s past, Abu’s commanders allow for the correspondence. But impressing terrorists was never Ali’s goal. In his letters to Abu, the author shines, nimbly portraying Ali’s attempts to dissuade him. As an old movie buff, I enjoyed reading about the makings of the film. Now I need to research whether DeMille was as unlikable as portrayed here. Detailed descriptions of the pyramids, the Sphinx, and the massive Egyptian set where Charlton Heston slips in and out of character while dressed as Moses reveal the author's eye for detail. As a typical American, I think in terms bad guys versus good guys, just like in DeMille’s movie. So I sometimes struggled to follow the intricacies of inter-Egyptian turmoil after the end of British rule. “Pictures” is entertaining and educational, which is everything a historical novel should be. All but the conclusion felt genuine, which is my only issue. Explaining would be a spoiler. It leaves much to discuss regardless. I still highly recommend reading the novel. If you read this book, please share how you felt about the ending with me.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
No to be missed
Alex has left his family and joined an extremist Islamic group. The only person in the family he is in contact with is his grandfather. It is between these emails that his grandfather, Ali’s past unfolds. Ali wanted to be a Hollywood movie mogul. He got his chance when Hollywood came to town to film The Ten Commandments. But, the revolution was in full swing and Ali gets caught up in a political web which changes his life. I have not read too many books about Egypt, especially one set in this time period. I enjoyed learning about this time in history. I never knew much about the revolution in this country. Add in the big Hollywood names of Cecil B. DeMille and Charlton Heston and this book really hit its mark. This story had some great, intense, heartbreaking moments and wonderful history. The only reason for the 4 star rating is the every day details seemed abundant. But, that should not stop you. This is a story not to be missed! Need a good Hollywood noir story…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today. I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Hope, Faith and the FIGHT for Freedoms!
Rating 3.5 A radicalized grandson's life runs parallel to his grandfathers from the 1950's in Picture in the Sand. Alex has left everything he knows to join the fight in Syria, and only communicates with his grandfather via email. In an effort to get his grandson to return home, he shares a story he left unsaid about his youth. During the 1950's, the movie The Ten Commandments was being filmed in Egypt, and a young Ali has aspirations to be director in Hollywood. He soon finds himself employed on set and embroiled in the web of politics in the country eventually landing himself in prison. His story is meant to prevent his grandson from making the same mistakes he made many years ago. The nature of the correspondence between grandson and grandfather were heartbreaking. While highly researched, this story gives life to the development of modern terrorism. It showcases hope, faith and the fight for freedom from various points of view. This was truly an interesting story about the making of the movie, the turmoil in Egypt and how one pasts can effect the future. Thank you Minotaur Books for the complimentary copy of this novel.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com